1 Amsterdams Historisch Museum
2 Anne Frankhuis
3 Begijnhof
4 Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace)
5 Leidseplein
6 Red Light District
7 Rijksmuseum
8 Van Gogh Museum
9 Vondelpark
10 Westerkerk
Rijks Museum
© AAA
A visit to this impressive museum will enrich your understanding of the city's 700-year history, adding useful insights to walks around town.
Sequential displays of art, models, maps, weapons, household objects and other artefacts trace Amsterdam's development from fishing village, to trading post, pilgrimage centre, seapower and Golden Age capital; through wars, religious strife, decline and renewal, to today's vibrant metropolis. There are archaeological finds from the city's earliest days, the oldest city map, View of Amsterdam by Cornelis Anthoniszoon (1538), maps and globes by Johannes Blaeu, and the Schuttersgalerij, a corridor lined with Civic Guard paintings.
The Historical Museum opened in 1975 in the former Burgerweeshuis (City Orphanage), which took over the Sint-Luciënklooster, a 15th-century convent, after the 1578 Protestant Alteration. Architect Hendrick de Keyser added a new wing in 1598 and in 1632 his son Pieter built the Renaissance colonnade you see lining a courtyard shaded by a lime tree planted for Queen Wilhelmina's 1898 coronation. In 1634, the old convent was demolished and Jacob van Campen began construction of the main orphanage building. Among many 17th-century Golden Age paintings, you can see the remains of Rembrandt's fire-damaged The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Deijman; Willem van de Velde the Younger's The River IJ at Amsterdam, showing a crowded harbour scene; Gerard de Lairesse's The Continents Paying Homage to the Maid of Amsterdam; Claes Berchem's Allegory of the Three Canals, a celebration of the grachtengordel (canal ring); and Hendrick Corneliszoon Vroom's The Return to Amsterdam of the Second Expedition to the Indies, showing four spice ships returning from the West Indies in 1599, an event that dramatically boosted the city's wealth. Part of the historic museum is closed for renovation until early 2001.Address: Kalverstraat 92, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 359, Sint Luciënsteeg 27
Phone: 523 1822
Open: Mon-Fri 10-5, Sat-Sun and pub hols 11-5. Closed 1 Jan, 30 Apr, 25 Dec
Restaurant: David and Goliath Café (Moderately priced)
Bus: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 14, 16, 20, 24, 25
Boat: Museum Boat stop 4
Accessible: Very good
Admission: Moderate
Practical: Guided tours on request; call ahead
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